Phobic Dawn

My Rating: 4 Stars ****

At first I was wary about reading this book. The storyline was great, but I am not a huge sci-fi fan, so I almost didn’t pick it up. So glad that I did!

Ben is not your typical hero. Is he tortured? Sure. Does he have a deep, dark secret? Absolutely! Does he seek out a woman that needs to save him so that he can live and love like man needs? Naturally. What makes him different from any other hero you read about? HE ASKED FOR HELP!!! I loved this about Ben! He wasn’t sitting around moping about his phobias (well, ok…he was for a while, but that is understandable given his HUGE secret….yeah, I’m not going to tell you that part. You need to find that one out for yourself.) he took the initiative and the chance that he could get caught, and he sought help. You gotta give the man credit for that one. Most men would rather be shot than ask someone (let alone a woman) for help. I don’t understand why…I just think that men are men and, well, they have serious issues in the asking for help department.

Snakes. Yes, snakes. They play a big part in the story and I found this absolutely fascinating. There are bodies of young women being found all over the world. Oe thing these bodies have in common? Besides the way they were killed, they all were covered in snakes. Ick, Ick, Ick!! Oh, and what just happens to be Ben’s big phobia? That’s right – snakes! Hell of an investigation for this man to be on, isn’t it?

This all brings us to Lucy. American. Rebel. Beautiful. Dangerous. What a combo. Ben found Lucy when looking for psychologists to treat him, but he needed someone who wouldn’t repost him to M18…these people basically own him and would terminate him if there was the slightest problem with him. Fun guys to work for, huh? Lucy seems like the perfect woman to help Ben with his phobic needs. The problem? She doesn’t treat men. She doesn’t trust them and refuses Ben at first…and second. Eventually, Ben tells her the big, bad truth about his past and about why it is so important that she doesn’t report him…no matter how bad his situation might be. (Still not giving the jaw-dropping secret away. Hee hee) Lucy feels bad for him, drawn to him…and decides to treat him and help him in his investigation as well. Tortured hero in need of help + beautiful woman with a Black Belt in Aikido who distrusts men? This so equals a match made in heaven!

Enough about the characters though (even if I thought they were great. I love a good book with awesome characters). What did I think of the whole book? I loved it. There was action, there was crime, there was a love-hate relationship to die for. I loved the plot and the jaw-dropping secrets that come out (what good bok doesn’t have something that makes you go…”wow, never would have guessed that?”). Granted, this book might not be for everyone. There is a lot to it. Cyborgs, ritual killings, deep-rooted phobias. Not everyone will enjoy it. Although, I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did…my opinion…give it a chance even if it seems a bit out of your comfort zone. I didn’t regret it at all.

To check out Katy Walters and for more information about her book Phobic Dawn and other works, check out her website here.